Dress to Kill
by Wia S
Summary: Once again, I am doing my chores only to bump into the King himself. This time, he calls out for me in urgency. Apparently he does not know what to wear for his own ball. Men and fashion don't mix well. Sequel to By the River, pre-JarethXOC One-shot


**A/N: I've gotten positive responses to my other Labyrinth story, **By the River,** that I've decided to write another one. This is a sequel to that same story. I hope it lives up to all of your expectations. I enjoy writing in this style.**

_Disclaimer:__Disclaimer: Only the OC, plot, and writing style of this story belongs to me. Everything else is the property of director Jim Henson and__ producer Eric Rattray. Please respect that.

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A week has passed since my encounter with the King, and since then I've seen more of him then I have in all my time as a maid. Not that we have had another conversation where for a moment I forget the social distance between a King and his maid, but I have made an effort to do my work outside of the shadows. After all, he was the one who said and I quote:

"_I think your pay would be better if I saw a pretty face every day."_

Unquote. That being said, I maintain that the only reason I am being more visible during my chores is for the chance to increase my pay check. The fact that I've earned an extra 300 coin during last payday helps me keep this train of thought.

I once again find myself gathering laundry, this time clean linens to distribute to the guest bedrooms. Oh? Have I forgotten to mention that there is a grand ball tonight? Yes, his majesty is celebrating his late father's birthday and noble from all over the Labyrinth are coming to the festivities. As such, guest bedrooms are to be made up in case some of these said nobles get too (and I only say it this way because I trust you won't tell anyone) shitfaced plastered to make the trip back to their homes. For the most part three quarters of these rooms will be ignored, but from my three years in service here I've come to learn not to assume anything when it came to Lords and Ladies who are notorious for taking too much drink then they should be allowed.

I hurry down the hall, sidestepping scurrying dwarves and goblins, intent on finishing my chores quickly. I still have to make my way to the market to get a few supplies and my time was sparse. Unfortunately as I pass down the hall that held the room which I knew the King sleeps in I am stopped by the same voice I have been thinking off since it first spoke my name.

"IVY! Thank god! Come quickly, I need your assistance!" King Jareth summons me, looking rather frazzled and distressed.

I hurry to his room door and dip in a low curtsey.

"How may I help you, sire?" I ask, part of my hoping it's a lengthy task in his presence and the other part hoping to be done quickly so I can get to the market.

"I have nothing to wear to the ball!"

He certainly has a knack for surprising people, doesn't he? I did not think that one of the problems a king faces is if he has the appropriate dress for a fancy gathering. Before I can properly process this thought, the Fae grabs my hand and drags me into his chambers. I stumble in before standing shock still as I look around. His room is extravagant! I honestly think one would be able to fit ten of my own rooms into his and still have room to stretch! Who needs this much space?

"Which do you think is more appropriate?" He asks, drawing my attention to him and not his furniture.

He is holding up two different colored tunics, one a dark blue and another pale green. Though both would look good on him, neither honestly goes well with his complexion. I hesitate to give him my honest opinion. I don't know if he'll take frankness well in this situation.

"Either would look fine on you, sir." I finally decide a vague approach would be best. He doesn't seem to agree.

"No! I must look the very best!"

Such a vain man. Alright, screw subtly, I'll give him my best harsh opinions. Steeling myself, I brush past him and begin digging through his large closet. Finally, I pull out a bunch of different tunics and toss them onto his bed.

"You have what is referred to as an autumn skin tone, meaning it has gold undertones and gives off a sense of warmth. You want to avoid pastel colors, they will wash you out. Also avoid too bright colors, like sunny yellows and rose reds. With your hair color, I suggest something around the lines of dark red, like wine with a gold stitchery." I explain and shift through his clothes to find what would best suit this criteria. The closest thing I could find is a burgundy with orange thread holding it together. Gross.

I toss him the shirt and motion for him to try it on. He wastes no time in stripping his shirt off and baring his chest to me. I let out a rather unattractive squeak and turn around, hiding my blushing face and his naked torso. He chuckles at my reaction.

"You are certainly a shy one." He remarks as I hear him pull the clothing over his head.

"I blame my mother, your majesty. She is a bit of a timid daisy." I explain, turning back around with the guess that he finished dressing.

Ugh! I was right! That shirt was pure ugly, even on the handsome Fae.

"Take it off and burn it. No one should wear such an atrocious thing." I begin to search through the rest of the pile, trying to find another shirt that would fit him.

"And your frankness? I doubt it came from a shy mother." He again takes off the shirt and immediately tosses it into his fire place. I am pleased to see it burn.

"That came from my father, sire. Though I've never met him, my mother describes him as a rather forward man."

"I'm sorry. Did he die before you were born?"

I pause in my search but hide it easily by picking up a dark green tunic. Why would he apologize for the belief in my father's death? No one has done such a thing before.

"No, sire. He is a sailor working in the south. My mother met him one night and nine months later I came into the world."

He looks at me with surprise, his elegant eyebrows raised.

"So, your parents were never bonded as mates? Or, as you humans say, married?"

Now I look at him in surprise.

"No, my king. Why would they be?"

It wasn't so strange that a person had unwed parents. Most humans I knew and many goblins and dwarves were the children born out of wedlock. Was it such a foreign thought to a Fae or just a King? I toss him the dark green tunic and watch him as he puts it on. No! Not in that way! I am simply trying to discover why he doesn't know the normalness of bastard children, especially in the Labyrinth. Though, from what my mother told me, the above ground world is not much better. He looks at my with mismatched eyes and gives me a weary smile.

"I'm sorry, did I offend you?"

Again with the surprising comments.

"No, of course not, sir! I'm simply curious as to why you are so surprised at such a common occurrence such as illegitimate children."

His surprise doubles.

"Surely it's not that common?"

I look at him with concern. Was he brought up in such a sheltered life or were all Fae's this prudish. I dearly hope it's the former.

"Sire, three out of five citizens came from an unwed union and many have siblings that they only share one parent with. Are Fae children the exception?"

He nods frantically, his wild mane of hair bobbing quite amusedly. I smile at him kindly, and now take my time looking at his new shirt. Better then the last but still not what I was going for.

"Wait! You told me you wished to marry at some point."

Yes, I had hadn't I? It was a true statement, but I don't think he realizes that it is not biologically essential to get married to have a child. One mishap and I could end up with a newborn and still be available as a wife.

"Yes sire, I do wish to find a man I can spend the rest of my life with. But, many humans, goblins, and dwarves ignore old fashion ideas like waiting to mate until marriage and as a consequence many have children before a wedding band around their finger. That doesn't mean they can't marry later on in life. Many do actually. In fact, I believe my own mother has finally found someone to spend the rest of her years with." I admit, smiling softly at the last letter I received for her and the mention of a certain stable hand.

"Truly? You are not hindered by social rules of engagement?"

He seems utterly baffled and curious at such an idea. It's cute really, something I had never expected to think. Honestly, I had always secretly labeled the King a bit of a player and ladies man. I guess I was very wrong about that.

"In ancient times, humans were very strict about the idea of sex and marriage. However, as time went on these ideas changed and the rules shifted. Now there are few people alive who follow the old days, and even those who do hardly bat an eye at those who don't." I explain and hand him another shirt to try on.

He nods in understanding, still looking a bit baffled. Then he decides to surprise me once again and make my face lit up like a blazing fire.

"Have you done this? Mate out of marriage?"

I feel like my temperature shots up a full ten degrees with the amount of blood rushing to my face.

"N-no, your majesty! I have n-not done _that_ in any way, shape, or form!" I defend myself, cursing my stutter that decides to show up at that moment.

I notice he looks oddly pleased by this information, but I'm so focused on trying to hide my embarrassment I don't think so much about it.

"So, you have no children?"

I sigh. I guess it's inevitable to not be embarrassed or asked personal questions when conversing privately with the king.

"No, sire, I have no children, nor a mate." I patiently explain. I now believe its best just to let him ask what he wants and give him the best answers I could. He is like a child in that sense, with no sense of question boundaries.

Again, he looks pleased. I take more note of it now, but decide not to dwell on it. He is now wearing a shade of darker green then the last one I handed him, this time one with a silver design along the hem. Perfect.

"I do believe we've found the right shirt for you to wear tonight, my king." I gently turn him to look in the mirror. I'm happy to see his eyes light up in delight and a very cocky smile decorate his face. Here is the face of the king I know. Not the one who seems ever curious about the personal lives of others.

"Why, I do look fantastic, don't I?" He asks, though I believe to no one in particular. Still, I decide to humor him.

"Very handsome, your majesty." I still think a wine red would look best on him, but he seeing as he didn't have a single tunic in that shade this green was the next best thing.

"Well, to be king one must be very handsome." He admits, fluffing his hair a bit.

I decide to not mention his rather ugly great-grandfather who ruled for many thousands of years and prevented many wars, despite his horrid appearance. I turn back to his bed and start to put away his rejected shirts.

"Will you be at the ball?" His question startles me. Turning, I raise my eyebrow at him. I had forgotten the distance between us for a bit, but surely he didn't?

"I believe the cook is short on servers, so if you want extra coin in your pay you might consider it."

Of course he hadn't. I feel my heart crumble just a bit, thought I don't know why.

"No, sire. I will be finishing with my chores and then turn in for an early night. I have a bit of a journey to make tomorrow." I turn to hid my saddened eyes and continue folding his clothes.

"A journey? Where are you headed to?" He asks sharply, and I notice from the corner of my eye that he is looking at me through the mirror.

"It is coming to the summer holidays. I always make a trip to visit my mother and spend the Summer Solstice with her."

"How long will you be gone?" His voice is less demanding this time, but his eyes are still on my face.

"A few weeks, sir. It is not very often I can see my mother, so we make the most of it. Plus, I would like to meet the man who has charmed her so well."

He nods and continues to primp himself, though without much of the enthusiasm as before. I worry at the sight of this. An awkward silence falls and I hurry to put his many clothes away in their proper places. Soon, I am done and head to the door. His voice stops me.

"Where does your mother live?"

Why would he want to know that?

"Up north, sire. She is a maid in the Lord Dorian's household."

He nods and turns back to the mirror.

With a curtsey to him I continue to leave. Just as I'm out of the door I hear soft words follow me out.

"Have a safe journey, Ivy."

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**Did you like it? Please give me your critique in a review. I love hearing the opinions of whatever readers I fish in. :o)**


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